As space-based research and manufacturing ramp up, a market is emerging for returning payloads to Earth affordably and reliably. German startup ATMOS Space Cargo is meeting that need with a new generation of reentry vehicles built around an inflatable heat shield.
Already flight-tested, the novel system positions Europe as a serious contender in the field of orbital logistics. NSF spoke to Sebastian Klaus, the founder & CEO of ATMOS Space Cargo, about surviving reentry and why Europe’s next big space breakthrough might be on the way back down — not up.